Sunday, December 16, 2012

Would I like to own the Lanza Family's Guns?

Yes, this is usually a blog about the choral music world, but sometimes it isn't. A few people have told me to keep politics out of this part of my life and this blog, but, sorry-- no can do, no please you. And in fact, this ISN'T political- it's about life and how some people's lives end in an evil instant when bullets-- many, many bullets, enter their body.

Hey citizen, do you need a rifle to shoot a deer? Yeah, go buy one. If you want to shoot Bambi or his mom, go ahead. If it makes you feel powerful or you like to make your own venison jerky, I'm not stopping you. Need a gun in the house to "protect" your family? Yeah, go buy one, but you might want to read this first:

Startled Father Fatally Shoots His Daughter

A
girl who jumped out of a closet and shouted, "Boo!" when her parents
came home in the middle of the night was shot and killed by her own
father.Fourteen-year-old Matilda Kaye Crabtree's last words to her father were "I love you, Daddy."No
charges were brought against her father, 53-year-old Robert Crabtree.
The Ouachita Parish Chief Deputy, Richard Fewell, said the case would be
turned over to the District Attorney as a matter of routine."It's sad," Mr. Fewell said. "This is something every kid has done. I don't know how the father is going to live with it."Matilda
and a friend, whose identity was not disclosed, were supposed to be
spending Saturday night at the friend's home but had decided to go to
the Crabtrees' while Matilda's parents were away, Mr. Fewell said.When
Matilda heard her parents drive up around 1 A.M. Sunday, she and her
friend came up with a practical joke: They hid in her bedroom closet and
made noises to make her parents think someone had broken in, Mr. Fewell
said.

Or this more recent event in South Africa:

A Centurion man accidentally shot dead his young daughter on
Friday morning when their house was broken into, Gauteng police said.

Lt-Col Lungelo Dlamini said the man was awoken by a commotion at his house on Glover Street."He went upstairs to fetch his firearm and while he was there, he
heard the commotion again near the door. He fired a shot which hit and
injured his... daughter," said Dlamini."She was taken to hospital in a critical condition, where she died. We have opened a case of culpable homicide."Dlamini said the five robbers fled the premise with a handbag, which belonged to the man's wife. No arrests had been made. Beeld newspaper reported that the father had heard dogs bark, went
downstairs to investigate and spotted a robber in the house, in the
early hours of Friday morning.He ran back up to his bedroom, slammed the door and took his firearm
from the safe. At that stage, his seven-year-old daughter had woken up
and wanted to go into her parents' bedroom.When she turned the door knob, her father thought it was one of the intruders and fired a shot.He opened the door and found her lying there. According to Beeld she had been shot in the head.

And you might want to know this research info:

Having a gun at home not only increases the risk of harm to one's
self and family, but also carries high costs to society, concludes an
article in the February Southern Medical Journal, official
journal of the Southern Medical Association. The journal is published by
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a
leading provider of information and business intelligence for students,
professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and
pharmacy."Firearm-related violence vastly increases expenditures
for health care, services for the disabled, insurance, and our criminal
justice system," writes Dr. Steven Lippmann of University of Louisville
School of Medicine, and colleagues. "The bills are paid by taxpayers
and those who buy insurance."

Guns at Home Increase Dangers, Not Safety

Based
on a review of the available scientific data, Dr. Lippmann and
co-authors conclude that the dangers of having a gun at home far
outweigh the safety benefits. Research shows that access to guns greatly
increases the risk of death and firearm-related violence. A gun in the
home is twelve times more likely to result in the death of a household
member or visitor than an intruder.

Returning to Sandy Hook:

An official with knowledge of the investigation tells The Associated
Press three weapons were found inside Sandy Hook Elementary School and a
fourth weapon was found outside. These weapons are critical evidence as
investigators try to unravel why Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six
school workers Friday after killing his mother at their home. The
official was not authorized to speak on the ongoing investigation and
spoke only on condition of anonymity.

The murder weapon:_ Bushmaster .223-caliber: lightweight with a high capacity,
it also is popular with law enforcement and the military, and is
commonly seen at shooting competitions. Two men convicted in a series of
sniper killings in the Washington, D.C.-area in 2002 used a Bushmaster
.223-caliber rifle that they fired from the trunk of a car at randomly
picked victims. Some models have a detachable magazine that can hold up
to 30 rounds. The medical examiner in Connecticut said it appeared all
the children and school staff were shot with the same high-powered
rifle, some repeatedly, some at close range.Also found in the school:

_ Glock 10 mm: a larger and more powerful weapon than the widely
popular 9 mm, it is in many respects similar to the 9 mm. It is a
lightweight and comparatively affordable weapon that is often used for
target shooting and for personal protection.

_ Sig Sauer 9 mm: considered an upper-tier, quality product, it's
comparatively expensive, and its range of uses include elite military
and police units.

The Bushmaster and two other weapons were found near the body of Lanza, who killed himself at the school.

So perhaps we don't yet have final, official confirmation of what guns were on the scene and what Adam Lanza exactly did with those guns, but I decided to look up these weapons and see if they might be appropriate for me to own to shoot deer or squirrels, and have in my homewith my nine year old boyin case of an intruder or rabid bear or alien invasion.The Bushmaster .223 AR-15 Rifle
Form the company website, a section called "Our World":

Military

Bushmaster military carbines and rifles are helping defend
freedom around the world. Proven in the most severe conditions, rugged
and reliable Bushmasters are lightweight, accurate, and easy to shoot
and maintain.
So whether duty calls you to the jungle or the desert... to
mountain snows or urban landscapes... highly adaptable Bushmaster weapon
systems are battle tested and field ready.

Home Defense

With a Bushmaster for security and home defense, you can
sleep tight knowing that your loved ones are protected. Bushmaster
offers everything you need to ensure the safety of you and your family.
Our high-quality pistols, carbines, and rifles are extremely reliable,
easy to shoot, and include lightweight carbon models that are perfect
for women. And with their intimidating looks, all Bushmasters make a
serious impression. Any gun will make an intruder think. A Bushmaster
will make them think twice. [Your prankster daughter will even think three times before she pranks you again].

Accuracy and reliability? Whether your prey is a
prairie dog at 600 yards or a charging hog that's lost his sense of
humor, [or a roomful of small children] you can rely on your Bushmaster for both pinpoint accuracy and
quick follow-up shots.

From my research I have found that this is a military rifle known as an AR-15 and that today the AR-15 and its variations are manufactured by many companies
and are popular among civilian shooters and law enforcement forces
around the world due to their modularity and notoriety in being
associated with US military. In other words, if you want to feel cool and all Rambo military-like, buy this gun, get your sunglasses and fatigues on, and nobody will mess with you. You won't just be able to kill Bambi with it, you can kill all the animals in the forest with one big sweep. Fully modified Ar15's are capable of firing 800 rounds per minute! This also makes me realize that Adam Lanza could have killed EVERYONE in that school that day if many of the teachers had not been so heroic and able to get so many children out of harm's way. God bless them.

I don't want this gun in my house. I don't want this gun in my neighbor's house. I don't want anyone to have this gun unless they are a SWAT team member or a member of the military. PERIOD.

The Glock 10mm semi-automatic pistol

Although it was selected by the FBI for use in the field following the 1986 FBI Miami Shootout, their training unit eventually "concluded that its recoil was excessive in terms of training for
average agent/police officer competency of use and qualification", the pistols that chambered it were too large for some small-handed
individuals. These issues led to the creation and eventual adoption of a shortened version of the 10mm that would evolve into what is today the .40 S & W.

So
this is a gun rejected by the FBI for various safety and practicality
reasons. Why does it still exist? It mostly seems to be another thrill machine (for people who get
off on gun thrills) to own.

For some reasons, this gun is still used by some law enforcement agencies, and is often touted as a "hunting gun". Yeah, right.

I don't want this gun in my house. I don't want this gun in my
neighbor's house. I don't want anyone to have this gun unless they are a
SWAT team member or a member of the military. PERIOD.

Hey, take a read of this (this guy has
weird fantasies, most likely on a daily basis)

Inside The Gun Locker: Carrying A Glock 10mm

Rumors of the death of the 10mm pistol cartridge and its
replacement by the .40 S&W are premature. The talented Ten has
simply moved out of town.

When you get out beyond the limits of the city, a .38 or 9mm in your
holster seems awfully small. As the most likely theater for a potential
armed confrontation opens up from city sidewalk, to high speed freeway,
to lonely country road and wide open spaces, even the capabilities of a
.40 or .45 may be stretched. When the threat of danger lurks, not in the
aching veins of some desperate junkie or the evil eye of an adolescent
asphalt-jungle predator, but in the paranoia of a gang of land-grabbing
marijuana farmers or the stamping feet of a belligerent range bull – out
where the bad guy is more likely to be armed with an AK-47 than a
pipsqueak pocket rocket, might even weigh a thousand pounds and wear a
set of horns suitable for impaling and tossing your big new truck – you
cannot be overgunned. If you carry a revolver, this is .357, .41 and .44
Magnum country. If you carry a semi-automatic pistol, this is the land
of the 10mm.

The Sig Sauer 9mm

This is another gun chiefly used by military around the world. It is used by the Navy Seals, but I think their intent is to use it to kill bad people, not seals.

I don't want this gun in my house. I don't want this gun in my
neighbor's house. I don't want anyone to have this gun unless they are a
SWAT team member or a member of the military. PERIOD.

OBVIOUS CONCLUSION: NONE of these firearms were truly meant to be in the hands of everyday citizens. They, and the devastating bullets they fire rapidly, were designed for military and law enforcement use. But companies like profits and they are happy to take your money if you need these guns to make yourself happy (see below). Anyone who clears a background check can own these weapons of mass destruction. And you can buy them at many gun shows without much hassle. Why did Nancy Lanza need these military guns? Why on earth would she let Adam have continued access to them considering what we seem to know now (and what she had to have known to some extent) about his mental instability or at least his outsider personality traits. Her role in this comes into question just as much as her son's, at least in my opinion.This was a disaster that did not have to happen. And yet little children, their teachers, and the whole community of Sandy Hook is paying a price which cannot be fathomed. Shame on us, as a country, if we let Sandy Hook and other recent killings happen, and NOT do something to prevent them in the future. Please contact the White House, your senators and representatives and tell them how you feel about this gun and mental health issue.

Happiness is a warm gun
Happiness is a warm gun, yes it isWhen I hold you in my arms When I feel my finger on your trigger I know nobody can do me no harm

Because happiness is a warm gun, momma
Happiness is a warm gun
-Yes it is.
Happiness is a warm, yes it is...
Gun!
Well don't ya know that happiness is a warm gun, momma? (yeah)

- Lennon (murdered at age 40 by a gun) & McCartney

FUN FACT: With less than 5% of the world's population, the US is home to roughly 35–50 per cent of the world's civilian-owned guns

From the Washington Post today: Adam Lanza lived among guns. His mother, Nancy, collected them. She showed them off to her landscaper. “Guns were her hobby,” said Dan Holmes, the landscaper of Nancy
Lanza’s sprawling yard here on the edge of town. “She told me she liked
the single-mindedness of shooting.”